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SPECIFY THE RIGHT PLASTIC ENCLOSURES FOR YOUR INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

OKW sealed enclosures for industrial electronics

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A ROBUST PLASTIC ENCLOSURE

Tough IP-rated plastic enclosures are making increasing inroads into the world of industrial electronics. Increasingly, they’re being specified for applications where once only a metal housing would have sufficed.

Not every plastic enclosure can survive life in a factory or outdoors: it takes a special breed. They must be strong with higher levels of ingress protection – that much is obvious. But they also need something more...

Good plastic enclosures must also come equipped with the kind of technical features that have made their diecast aluminum counterparts so successful. These features are there for a reason:

  • High levels of ingress protection – at least IP 66, which safeguards your components from dust and jets of water. Read our guide to IP ratings for more information. 
  • ‘Lid closed’ installation – so enclosures can be fitted in challenging locations without fear of water or dust ingress.
  • Robust internal hinges or lid retaining straps – to ensure the lid is not dropped when the enclosure is being installed at height.
  • A generous lid recess for a membrane keypad or product label.
  • Plenty of accessories – such as security kits, pressure equalization elements, or wall mounting brackets.
  • Smart modern aesthetics – because looks matter more than ever in today’s futuristic factories and technical facilities.

OKW manufactures a huge range of plastic enclosures but these are the main four to consider for industrial electronics: SOLID-BOX, SMART-BOX, IN-BOX and ROBUST-BOX. All four models can be specified fully customized.

OKW SOLID-BOX IP 66/67 enclosures

SOLID-BOX (IP 66/IP 67) – OUR NEWEST INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURE

SOLID-BOX is a new range of rugged, versatile enclosures for desktop and wall-mount electronics. They’re ideal for plant and machine construction, measurement and control, HVAC, Industry 4.0, IoT/IIoT, sensors, gateways, data loggers, ICT, electrical installations, safety engineering, and agriculture.

With an IK 08 impact rating, SOLID-BOX certainly lives up to its name. To be certified IK 08, an enclosure must be able to withstand five joules of impact. That is the equivalent of a 1.7 kg mass being dropped from 300 mm above the impacted surface.

Smart design features include:

  • ‘lid closed’ installation – with snap-on trims to cover the screw channels and corrosion-resistant captive Torx screws
  • recesses in the lid for a keypad or label, and in the base section to help protect cable glands and connectors
  • two types of hinge (accessories) to ensure the lid remains attached to the main case body when the enclosure is open
  • internal fastening pillars for circuit boards, DIN rails and mounting plates
  • mounting points on the rear (sizes 145 and 175) to match the hole patterns of VESA MIS-D 75/100.

SOLID-BOX is molded from a blend of polycarbonate and ABS for added strength. Polycarbonate is a very strong plastic – it’s the one used for riot shields and bulletproof glass. SOLID-BOX’s PC+ABS blend is flame-retardant, rated V-0 (1.50 mm) with increased heat distortion temperature (Vicat/B 120 = 110°C).

View the new SOLID-BOX range >>

OKW SMART-BOX IP66 enclosures

SMART-BOX (IP 66) ENCLOSURES – A PROVEN DESIGN

Tried and trusted SMART-BOX has attractive, ergonomic contours which – combined with its technical features – ensure it remains popular for wall-mount and desktop industrial electronics. Specify SMART-BOX for HVAC, control and systems engineering, safety technology, IoT/IIoT, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0 and gateways.

Like SOLID-BOX, SMART-BOX can be fitted with the recessed lid closed, and it also has trims to conceal the fixings. But this time the trims are hinged, remaining permanently attached to the lid so there’s no danger of dropping them during installation, inspection and maintenance.

SMART-BOX’s design touches include plastic lid-retaining straps, and also A2 stainless steel screws that are highly resistant to corrosion – even when aggressive substances are involved. These enclosures are available in eight sizes. They are molded from ASA+PC (UL 94 V-0).

View the SMART-BOX range >>

OKW IN-BOX IP 66 enclosures

IN-BOX (IP 66/IP 67) – STRONG, SMART AND SIMPLE

IN-BOX is available in two plastics, both of which offer an IK impact rating. IN-BOX in ABS is rated IK 07 – equivalent to 0.5kg being dropped on it from 400 mm – while the stronger PC version has the aforementioned IK 08 rating. (An ABS/PC version is IK 07.)

And whichever plastic you specify, you can choose from either an opaque or a transparent lid, both of which are recessed. In polycarbonate, the complete enclosures comply with UL 94 5V (better than V-0), although the material itself has a classification of V-2.

The enclosures can be mounted directly to walls or you could specify wall-mounting brackets (accessory) if you prefer. Internal hinges (accessory) stop the lid from falling off when open. Quarter-turn lid screws help to speed up installations and inspections.

Smart, simple IN-BOX is perfect for digital and analogue instruments, sensors, interfaces and security systems, HVAC, machine building, construction equipment and Smart Factory/Industry 4.0 technology.

IN-BOX can be specified with accessories including pressure equalisation elements, security kits (for use with lead tags) and cable grommets. There is also a wide range of mounting plates and DIN rails (TH35 and TH15).

View the IN-BOX range >>

OKW ROBUST-BOX IP 65 Enclosures

ROBUST-BOX (IP 66) – CONFIGURE YOUR PERFECT ENCLOSURE

ROBUST-BOX has a neat party trick that creates a wide range of sizes. Put simply, both case shells feature pre-moulded threads so you can combine:

  • two flat sections
  • two high sections
  • one of each.

Clip-on trims hide the captive corrosion-resistant captive fixing screws, which are outside the sealed area. Unlike the other models featured in this blog post, ROBUST-BOX’s trims are available as standard in a choice of light gray, silver gray, red, yellow, green and blue for color coding or branding purposes.

Like IN-BOX, these wall-mount and desktop enclosures can be specified in either PC or ABS. But unlike IN-BOX, the rating is UL 94 HB for both – there is no higher flammability rating as standard. However, as with all OKW enclosures, it is always worth asking us about special materials as a custom option.  

Accessories include wall mounting brackets, case feet for desktop use, and fastening elements for attaching the enclosures to DIN rails. There are also security kits, security plugs, PCB supports, hinges, cable grommets and pressure equalization elements.

View the ROBUST-BOX range >>

COMPARE ENCLOSURES AT A GLANCE

  • Which enclosure is the largest? ROBUST-BOX (14.17" x 9.44" x 6.29").
  • Which is the smallest? IN-BOX (3.30" x 3.22" x 2.16").
  • Which offers the largest range of sizes? ROBUST-BOX.
  • Which has a transparent lid as standard? IN-BOX.
  • Which enclosures offer lid closed installation? SOLID-BOX and SMART-BOX.
  • Which have security plugs, tags or kits as accessories? SMART-BOX, IN-BOX and ROBUST-BOX.
  • Which offer lid hinges or retaining straps? SOLID-BOX, SMART-BOX (lid straps included), IN-BOX and ROBUST-BOX.
  • Which are easiest to fit to DIN rails? ROBUST-BOX (fastening elements are available as accessories)
  • Which model offers the most customization options? ROBUST-BOX – see below…
Customized industrial electronics enclosures

CUSTOMIZED ENCLOSURES FOR INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

All OKW standard plastic enclosures are designed to be modified quickly and easily. You can specify them fully customized to your exact requirements so they can go directly to your production lines for installation of components.

As a single-source supplier, we offer the following customization services for industrial electronic enclosures:

  • CNC machining – milling, tapping, engraving, countersinking and cutting
  • printing of legends, logos and photo-quality graphics
  • laser marking – ideal for QR codes, barcodes, DataMatrix codes and sequential numbering
  • decor foils – digitally printed in photo quality, with cutouts for displays or LEDs
  • RFI/EMI shielding – in-house vapour-plating with aluminum to safeguard electronics from RFI/EMI
  • installation/assembly of accessories.

Further customization options are available for ROBUST-BOX:

View the customizing options >>

FURTHER READING

GET EXPERT TECHNICAL ADVICE

Contact OKW for specialist advice on specifying the best standard or customized enclosures and tuning knobs for your electronics. Don’t forget to request a sample.